Sir Keir Starmer has announced his resignation as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and British Labour Party leader, paving the way for a contest to decide a successor.
Speaking on Monday at Downing Street, the gated area in London’s Westminster that houses the official residences and offices of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Starmer said that he would remain in office until the conclusion of the party’s leadership election.
His intention to resign followed the return of Andy Burnham to parliament in the 2026 Makerfield by-election.
Discussion of a leadership election rose following the party’s poor results in the local, Senedd, and Scottish Parliament elections last month, and increased further after Burnham’s by-election victory.
Nominations are expected to open on 9 July, with a leader elected by mid-September, if the election is contested. Burnham has been widely speculated to run in and subsequently win the election, with Wes Streeting as the only potential challenger.
This election will be the third held while the Labour Party is in government, the previous two being the 1976 leadership election and the 2007 election.
Keir said on Monday that he accepted he was not best placed to lead Labour into the next general election and he had informed the King of his decision to step down.
He added he has asked Labour’s governing body to set out a timetable to replace him, with nominations opening on 9 July and ending by the summer recess on 16 July.
He said if there was a contest, then a new leader would be in place before Parliament returns in September, and he would ‘do everything’ he can to ensure an ‘orderly’ transition of power.
Keir said he would remain as Prime Minister until the leadership contest is complete.
He added he would also give his successor ‘my full and unequivocal support, knowing that they will inherit a Britain that is far stronger and fairer than the one I inherited two years ago’.
Keir was elected leader of the Labour Party in April 2020 and became Prime Minister on 5 July 2024 following Labour’s general election victory.
His decision to step down means the UK will soon have its seventh prime minister since 2016.
Keir was accompanied by his wife, Victoria, as he walked out of 10 Downing Street to deliver his resignation speech.
Watched by his supporters, colleagues and No 10 staff, Sir Keir’s voice cracked with emotion as he spoke of what his focus will be on next.
He said: ‘When I leave the biggest job in the country, I shall spend more time on the most important job: being the best husband I can to my fantastic wife Vic, who has been a rock by my side through good times and bad; and being the best dad I can to my beautiful children, who are my pride and my joy’.
Keir had spent the weekend mulling over his future at Chequers, the prime minister’s country residence in Buckinghamshire.
Pressure from within Labour had been mounting on Sir Keir to outline a timetable for his departure following Andy Burnham’s victory in last week’s Makerfield by-election.
Burnham, the former Greater Manchester mayor, is regarded by many as the frontrunner to replace Sir Keir after he secured his return to Parliament with an emphatic win over his Reform UK rival.
Burnham is expected to travel to Westminster on Monday to formally take up his seat as a Member of Parliament.
Former Health Secretary Wes Streeting has also previously outlined his intention to join any Labour leadership contest.
Discontent towards Sir Keir’s leadership had also been rising before a poor set of election results in England, Wales and Scotland in May.
This included his decision to change direction on three major policies in a month after pressure from within his own party.
Keir’s decision to appoint Lord Mandelson as UK ambassador to the US also led to questions about his judgement and the wider Downing Street operation.
Lord Mandelson was sacked after new information came to light about the depth of his relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
